New Beginnings With Renewed Hope

lLife changes on a dime they say.  I've certainly become a believer that this is so true.  I recently walked away from a comfortable job I enjoyed for 15 years.  It wasn't planned, at least not for the day I did it.  Things just 'happen' and that was one of those instances.  

Of course, all the normal emotions welled up inside me after the fact.  Fear, condemnation of myself for doing such a foolish thing in this unstable economy, melancoly for those who would no longer be a daily part of my life, and then the welcome liberating feeling of plain old RELIEF.  It was something that was going to occur sooner than later.  I hadn't been content with changes being forced on me in that job.  So, needless to say, I'm off on a very scary 'adventure' in the latter segment of my life.  ;-)

The very day I quit my 'comfy' job, an old friend called and offered me a few hours in her Tea Shop 5 days a week to help out with the lunches she serves daily.  It's a quaint and cozy house built in 1901, converted into an adorable gift shop/tea room that is open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for lunch, with extended hours for anyone wanting to browse the gift shop. Sherry also caters private mystery murder parties, and caters side jobs as well.  http://www.grapevinetearoom.com/gallery.htm  I jumped at this welcome opportunity!  I love her, she's easy and happy, and it would be much less stressful for me.  The great part is I can begin concentrating on making a little side business for myself with sewing and crafting, which I LOVE!  

God certainly doesn't promise any an easy journey.  I'm learning daily never ever to doubt in HIS abundance of grace and hope, and more importantly that choosing humility and following his will for me allows God to shape my character and my circumstances.  And it makes room to glorify God in both.  ;-)

~Wow~  I was in the 'thought process' of starting a business to supplement my dwindling income (my hours at my regular job have been cut drastically), when BOOM it suddenly took off without me!  :-)

I am calmly (ha-ha) purchasing my fabric, making my patterns, and prototyping everything before making the original.  It's been truly exhilarating.  I haven't had time to stop, think, or consider what if, I'm just DOING IT and THANKING GOD while venturing along this new journey.

Loving animal prints, I decided to try a bag out of upholstery material since it was 50% off.  I wanted it to have that 'wow factor' that always catches my eye. This is the finished product. It has a magnetic clasp and inside is a pocket for a cell phone and pen. 

                
 

What's the verdict?  


I'm off to complete my next creation.  Wish me luck.


 

*A Little TEASER *

I'm going to tease you a bit with this post!  Two of my upcoming projects:

This little gem was created by Stella & Dot.  I intend to duplicate it to the exact replica.  Stay tuned!

Next up are two different versions of a burlap bag I have absolutely fallen in love with!  The lining is as intriguing as the outside.  I can just imagine the possibilities for embellishments!  Can't wait to go purchase my different colored burlap! 

Whoppeeeeeeeeeeeee.  


                           

Adorable Wreath

It's frigid outside in Memphis today!  The forecast is for snow and wintry conditions to welcome in the evening, which for us is a rare treat.  I'm staying cozy and warm busily creating.  

I love experimenting and trying out other bloggers' shares.

One of the 5 coffee filter wreaths I made as Christmas gifts . . . Cute, huh?

I've actually been going back and forth between several projects the last few days.  Hummmm, wonder what that says about my staying focused?  ;-)

While attempting to sit still and watch television the past few evenings, I've been making paper beads.  Old to some, but quite new to me.  It somehow relaxes me to keep my hands busy, and this task certainly does that.  A little sticky, but other than that really fun.  I made about 100 beads of all sizes the last couple of nights.

BEADS?  They don't LOOK much like beads at this point, do they? :-D  Still have to be varnished.

I'll keep going with that little nightly task until I feel like I have enough beads to put together some nice little jewels. *pun intended*

Today though, I wanted to begin a paper rose wreath that grabbed my attention during the holiday season, when I was crafting/sewing gifts.


Since I didn't have a wreath form available to begin my paper rose wreath, I cut the wreath shape from an old box left from moving.  I'm LOVING the way it looks so far.

Little inside joke about this wreath is that our twenty year old loves the music she grew up hearing us listen to. Most of her friends crack up because she loves the old tunes we love, but it doesn't deter her from listening anyway.  One of the songs that my sweet hubby, Dennis loves (as did his mother) is ♪♫ PAPER ROSES ♫♪.  So while making this cute baby, I've been humming this A LOT while folding the paper strips into capricious little flowers.

Old dictionary, never used since everything's looked up on the computer now.

Make this snake-like design.  I cut 2, 3, 4 out at a time. 

Cut along the line.  If using more than one strip at a time, don't worry about the paper 'fanning'.  It gives your flower a more interesting look.

Start at the outer end and begin rolling the strip to resemble a rose/flower.  I used small dots of hot glue along the way to ensure my flower didn't fall apart.

Begin gluing your different size flowers on your wreath.

I had to stop at this point to make chili for the winter weather eating.  :-)

Tah-Dah!  Love it.

Smaller version, with Valentine embellishment.

Another with additional roses, different color clustered.

So, what do you think?

 

Off With A BANG!

Well, we're off and galloping through 2011 now.  I use the verb gallop because as I grow older, life seems to pick up speed daily.  In youth, time seemed never-ending.  I felt there would always be enough.  I know now from experience and wisdom that we should embrace each and every precious moment God gives us during our sojourn on earth.

New experiences, whether we view them good, bad or are indifferent to them, should be analyzed carefully in order to explore the lesson each offers to teach us. Lately, I can't seem to gather enough new information in order to engage in an awe-inspiring craft I've never done before, take up a new hobby, try a recipe that catches my fancy, or just play with a new idea in my head.


Life offers an abundance of life experiences daily......and personally I am ready to try out as many as TIME will allow.  ;-)

Below are some of my newest endeavors.  Happiness that they were received so well!


Some of my home-made Christmas gifts this year:

Scarves. Scarves. Scarves.  I believe I made about 15 different colors, and have only 1 left for me.  Wish I'd have thought to make photos of everything I gave as gifts.  It was not only fun, but very rewarding.

Remember that necklace I said I was going to attempt to copy?  It's still on my 'List'.  Stay tuned.  

Winter Crafting

I'm not particularly in a Christmas mood this year.....been a long tough year for us.  But, celebrating the upcoming NEW YEAR could be inspiring.  I didn't even 'decorate' for Christmas, since there are no kiddies coming to my house this year....*tear~tear*. And, since we haven't even really 'settled' into this house to make it ours yet. That takes T-I-M-E.  (There's always HOPE for Christmas of some sort with my GRANDS next year.)

But, I do like incorporating winter decor into my home. A snowman wreathe greets you at our front door.

              
I'll find a special place for the glistening winter trees I've been crafting too.  Maybe we'll even get some real SNOW this year.  There were actual snow flurries early this a.m., which rarely do we see this far south.  We can always dream.

While skimming through the craft blogs I love so much, I came across these beautiful recycled trees.  They were originally on Martha Stewart's craft link I believe.  I have seen different versions on some other sites as well.  Since it was basically a rainy, cold, blah Saturday I began to fold, fold, and fold some more pages of old magazines while watching Christmas classics on T.V.  

Here's the project in a nutshell.  I think they'll look beautiful on my kitchen table through the chilly winter months.

                                                                    

The tape measurer is there to hold the pages I've already folded down.

That tail is folded up and then tucked back underneath so you don't see it.  See?  Voila!  It's gone (hidden).

All that 'glitters' is not gold....LOL....sometimes it's silver

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A little silver spray and a sprinkling of glitter and I'm a happy little crafter.  I'm going to do some in gold also.  I'm pretty content with how they turned out.  Now, to find the perfect place to display them through the frigid months ahead.


                                                                                                            

                                                                                                              

                 

    

CUTE NECKLACE

A co-worker had on the ultimate in what I consider to be one of the coolest, modish, simple but elegant pieces of jewelry that's caught my eye in a while.  I absolutely loved it!  SO, after staring a hole through her chest at the coveted necklace, I finally approached her to ask if I could snap a few shots of it.  She immediately ask if I was going to make one like it, and of course I admitted that I probably couldn't begin to emulate it but I was certainly going to give it a shot.  

I hope to have some degree of success with an attempt replicating hers.   I'm a gal on a mission this weekend to purchase everything  to put this little gem together  quickly.  Or at least a semblance of  what her gorgeous piece is.  

Keep your fingers crossed.  ;-)